Adapter for gem setter



Aug. 21, 1956 D G, WOOD ADAPTER FOR GEM SETTER Filed July 6, 1954 United States Patent ADAPTER .Fon GEM SETIER Dan-G'. Wood, Chicago, Ill., assgnor to Dorothy Dahl, Inc., a corporationof `Illinois Application July 6, 1954, Serial No. 441,243 6 Claims. (Cl. 1 4)- rl'his invention relates to an adapter for a hand operated tool for setting gems and' is particularly concerned with the provision of` means that may be applied to any style of gem setting device to adapt it to. set gems of different s1zes.

Although the adapter is described in connection with a gem setting device of the type disclosed in the patent application of Edward Schin'co, SerialV No. 417,402, tiled March 19, 1954, now abandoned, it should be understood that the invention is not so limited, and the adapter disclosed herein may be used with any type of gem setting device.

Dresses, belts, hand bags, scarfs, and similar articles worn or used by women are often decorated with rhinestones, pearls, opals and similar gems. The application of such gems at the factory adds considerable expense to the cost price of such articles, and, in consequence thereof, hand operated gem setting tools have been made available to the public so that users who can not aiford such decoratedv articles, or who prefer individual designs, may purchase similarI articles without such adornment, and apply gems thereto in any desired designs. All such hand-operated gem setting tools heretofore known, however, have the common disadvantage of being limited to use with gems of a single size.

The adapter constructed in accordance with the pres ent invention may be attached to a conventional gem setting tool to apply gems that are either larger or smaller in size than the gems for which the tool is. intended.

Each adapter is designed for use with one specific size of gem, and any of the adapters may be easily applied to or removed from the gem setting tool to make possible the securement of gems of different sizes to a single article.

The adapter is provided with a longitudinal bore of anyA desired diameter and a plunger having its lower end fitting snugly in said bore. The upper end of the plunger abuts the lower end of the plunger in the gem setting tool and the plunger of the adapter is driven by the plunger of the tool. The lower end of the adapter plunger has an annular flat surface adjacent its periphery and a centrally disposed concave recess so that it may be used to set at back or spherical gems.

The structure by which the above and other advantages of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view through a gem setting tool of a construction presently commercially available;

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of an adapter embodying the invention;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a plunger de 'signed for use with the adapter shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the gen1y setting tool with the adapter applied thereto;

ICE

Fig. 5 isa view, similar :to Fig. 4, showing 'the adapter plunger in. its lowernrost position;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional. viewshawing the adapter plunger at .the completion of a gem set.- ting operation; and- Fig. 7v is a fragmentary sectionalV view o-f an adapter embodying the invention, .having a plunger Vlarger fthan the plunger of the gemsetting tool'.

In the drawings, vthe reference numeral 2 indicatesthe headof the setting tool. Head 2 may be made of Wood, plastic, or any other suitable material and is of a -size that will iit comfortably into the 'palm of the hand. The head is shown as being spherical, kbut it may be any shape that can fit comfortably into the users palm. A recess 3 extends asubstantial distance into the head and is counterbored, as indicated at 4, to provide an annular shoulder 5-.

A tubular sleeve 6 slidably litting in counterbore 4 is provided with an annular inwardly extending rib 7- to form annular shoulders .8 and 9. The `striking plunger l0 comprises a shank 1I andan enlarged end 12. Shank 1l ts slidably .within the restricted opening definedll by rib 7 and is drive ttedi-nto recess 3. End 12- tits slidably in the sleeve 16 and .at its bottom is provided with a concave recess 13 surrounded by .an `annular flat surface 14, so that it may be used to set dat back or spherical `gen-is. A compression spring lcoiled. around shank 11 tswithinssl'eeve 6.v One end. of. spring 15 bears against annular shoulder 5, and its opposite -end bears lagainst shoulder 8. 'llhe spring exerts a constant force against sleeve .6 urging it outwardly with :respect to head 2, but the outward movement of the sleeve is limited by the engagement of shoulder 9 with `enlarged end 12. The inward movement of sleeve 6 is limited by the Vengagement of .the inner end of the sleeve. with shoulder 5.

The adapter,l as shownin. Figs. 2 to -6, comprises a cylindrical portion 16. having an internal diameter to fit snugly on the lower endof sleeve 6. If the adapter is of aluminum the cylindrical portion is press-ttedv on the lower end of sleeve .6, but. it is preferred. lto make the adapter .of steel or of plastic material and to slot the upper endl portion, ask shown at y17, Fig.. 2, to provide a spring action that facilitates. the positioning and removal of the adapter. The adapter can, of course, be made of any suitablematerial. and may Vbepress-tittedfon sleeve 6,. providing spring action is not desired.

The lower end of the adapter. tapers. inwardly, as indicated at 18, so that its bottom 19 Iis only slightly larger than the gem 20 to be set. This relationship between the. cross sectional area of the bottom ofthe adapter and .the corresponding cross sectional area ofthe gem to be set facilitates positioningd of the gem setting tool. for the setting operation. The cup 21. of the anvil 22 in which the gem is positioned. for the setting operation lhas sloping side. walls 23 which permit .the relatively' small bottom 19 to be positioned close to the gem 20.

The adapter is provided. with. an laxial bore 24 that s dimensioned in accordance with the sizeof thel gemwith which it is to be used. A plunger 25 adapted. to beused with the adapter comprises. an enlarged cylindrical. head 26. adapted to t. in the lower end. of' sleeve 6 and. abut the bottom of plunger 1'0 and a shank 27 adapted to t snugly in axial bore 24. 'I'.hey bottom. of. shank 27 .is provided with a .concave recess 28 surroundedY by anranf nular ii'at surface 30 so that the adapter may be used -to set gems having aat backor spherical gems, as desired. If desired, plunger 25 may be provided with a threaded stud projecting from itsY upper end vso that it may be threadedinto a complementary threaded recess in the bottom of plunger 10'. In such` case lplunger 2-5 may be of uniform diameter since it does not'require Ia portion vto-iit snugly against the inner surfaceoffsleevel A series of 'adapters may be provided for a single gern setting tool to enable the same tool to be used with gems of any normal size. Each adapter has its upper cylindrical portion 16 of uniform internal cross section to enable it to lit snugly around the outer surface of the lower end portion of sleeve 6 of the gem setting tool. The axial bores of the different adapters are of varied diameters, in accordance with the different sizes of gems to be set. The upper cylindrical portion 26 of eac'h plunger 25 is of uniform size to iit snugly within the lower end portion of sleeve 6 unless each plunger 25 is provided with a threaded stud projecting from its upper end, `as previously described. The Shanks 27 of plungers 25 varyV in diameter so that each fits snugly within the bore 24 of the adapter with which it is to be used.

In adapters for use with gems smaller than the gems for which the gem setting tool is designed the portion 26 of plunger 25 is larger than bore 24, or plunger 25 is held by 'a stud threaded into plunger 10, and therefore plunger 25 can not become separated from the gem setting tool when the adapter is secured to the gem setting tool. Adapters designed for setting gems larger than the size for which the gem setting tool is designed present a problem in that the lower end of the adapter plunger must be larger in diameter than the diameter of the lower end of the plunger of the gem setting tool.

In Fig. 7 I have disclosed an 'adapter for setting the larger gems. In this embodiment the adapter has an upper cylindrical portion 31 similar to the portion 16 of the embodiment previously described. The axial bore 32 in the lower portion of the adapter is larger in diameter than the internal diameter of sleeve 6. The :adapter is provided with a restricted neck portion 33 interposed between the upper end of bore 32 and the lower end of sleeve 6. The internal ydiameter of neck portion 33 is less than the internal diameter of sleeve 6. A plunger 34 'has an enlarged end 35 snugly fitting within bore 32 and a shank 36 extending upwardly therefrom. Shank 36 has an upper end portion 37 fitting snugly within sleeve 6 and a reduced portion 38 having a diameter equal to the diameter of restricted neck portion 33.

The assembly of plunger 34 with the gem setting tool and the adapter is very simple. Shank 36 is positioned in sleeve 6 with its upper end portion 37 abutting the bottom of plunger 10. The adapter is then pushed on to the lower end portion of sleeve 6 with reduced portion 38 of shank 36 extending through restricted neck portion 33. The enlarged end 35 of plunger 34 is then secured to the bottom of shank 36. End 3S is provided with a threaded stud 39 which is threadedinto a recess in shank i 36. If desired, shank 36 may be provided with the stud, and enlarged end 35 with a complementary recess threaded to receive the stud. The plunger 10 -is preferably held in its lowermost position to facilitate interengagement of enlarged end portion 35 and shank 36.

In order to provide a series of adapters for gems larger than those for which the gem setting tool is designed, each adapter must have uniform cylindrical portions 31. It is desirable to have neck portions 33 uniform also, because then only a single shank 36 is required. Enlarged end portions 35 of different sizes to iit the bores 32 of dierent adapters may be selectively engaged with the same shank 36.

The gem setting tool, with an adapter of any size secured thereto, or without any adapter, may be used with lany conventional anvil, such as the anvil disclosed in the 'above mentioned prior application Serial No. 417,402, to set gems of any desirable size. The sloping side walls 23 of the anvil cup make it possible to use 'a single anvil with gems of any size. The' bottom of either plunger 25 or 34 will press :a mounting member 40 downwardly until the prongs 41 penetrate through the backing 42,V and the sloping walls 23 will then curl the prongs around the sides of the gem to secure it to the backing.

Although I have described two preferred embodiments of my invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details of the structure may be modiiied or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction described.

I claim:

l. An adapter for a gem setting tool having a cylindrical sleeve, comprising a cylindrical portion detachably engageable with the lower portion of said sleeve, said :adapter having an axial bore extending upwardly from its lower end, said bore being of larger diameter than the inside diameter of said sleeve, 'a plunger having one end portion adapted to iit snugly within said sleeve, an opposite end portion fitting snugly within the bore of said adapter, an intermediate portion of smaller diameter than either of said end portions, and a restricted neck portion integral with said adapter tting snugly laround the intermediate portion of said plunger, said restricted neck portion being positioned between said opposite end portlons of said plunger to prevent accidental separation of said plunger from `said tool.

2. An adapter for use with a gem setting tool hav1ng a striking plunger slidably mounted in a tubular sleeve, said adapter comprising a unitary member having an upper cylindrical portion detachably engageable with the outer surface of the lower portion of said tubular sleeve and an axial bore extending upwardly from its lower end, and a second plunger having an upper portion adapted to fit within said tubular sleeve and to engage with theV bottom of said iirst mentioned plunger, said second mentioned plunger having a shank slidably fitting within said axial bore.

3. An adapter for use with a gem setting tool having a striking plunger slidably mounted in a tubular sleeve, said adapter comprising a unitary member having an upper cylindrical portion detachably engageable with the outer surface of the lower portion of said tubular sleeve and an axial bore extending upwardly from its lower end, and a second plunger having an upper portion adapted to lit within said tubular sleeve and movable therein to engage with the bottom of said rst mentioned plunger, said second mentioned plunger having a shank slidably fitting within said axial bore, the bottom of said shank having a concave recess surrounded by an annular flat surface.

4. An adapter for use with a gem setting tool having a striking plunger slidably mounted in a tubular sleeve, said adapter having an upper cylindrical portion detachably engageable with the outer surface of the lower portion of said tubular sleeve and an axial bore extending upwardly from its lower end, said bore being of greater diameter than said striking plunger, a restricted neck portion in said axial bore, and a plunger comprising a shank fitting within said restricted neck portion, a portion adapted to iit within said tubular sleeve and movable therein to engage the bottom of said first mentioned plunger, and an enlarged bottom portion iitting in said axial bore, said enlarged bottom portion being detachably engageable with said shank.

5. An adapter for use with a gem setting tool having a striking plunger slidably mounted in a tubular sleeve, said adapter having an upper cylindrical portion detachably engageable with the outer surface of the lower portion of said tubular sleeve and an axial bore extending upwardly from its lower end, said bore being of greater diameter than said striking plunger, a restricted neck portion in said axial bore, and a plunger comprising a shank fitting within said restricted neck portion, a portion adapted to iit within said tubular sleeve and movable therein to engage the bottom of said rst mentioned plunger, and an enlarged bottom portion iitting in said axial bore.

6. An adapter for use with a gem setting tool having a striking plunger slidably mounted in a tubular sleeve, said adapter having an upper cylindrical portion detachably 5 6 engageable with the outer surface of the lower portion of bottom of said bottom portion having a concave recess said tubular sleeve and an axial bore 'extending upwardly SulrOuIlded by an annular at Surface. from its lower end said boro` being of greater diameter than said striking plilnger, a restricted neck portion in said References Cited m the me of thls patent axial bore, and a plunger comprising a shank tting 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Within said restricted neck portion, a portion adapted to 1,699,519 Brown jam 9 2 1929 t within said tubular sleeve and movable therein to en- 1,722,330 Hasty July 30, 1929 gage the bottom of said rst mentioned plunger, and an 2,472,353 Van Sittert June 7, 1949 enlarged bottom portion fitting in said axial bore, the lo 2,543,942 Shai Mar. 6, 1951 

